Congratulations Kutak Rock, Advocate of the Year!

The Partnership For Our Kids is so proud to congratulate Kutak Rock, LLP, winner of the 2011 Midlands Mentoring Partnership Advocate of the Year award!

For nearly two decades, Kutak Rock has generously supported The Partnership For Our Kids not only through pledges and sponsorships, but through the time and talents of their staff. Kutak Rock attorney, David Jacobson, Esq. has served on the Partnership’s board of directors since 1993, helping to steer the organization through almost twenty years of growth, development and change.

For the past three years , five additional Kutak Rock attorneys have dedicated themselves as volunteer mentors to a group of Partnership students. These devoted individuals have gone above and beyond the typical group mentor responsibilities, supporting their students and watching them grow from rambunctious sixth-graders to maturing young men and women. The Kutak Rock mentor team has worked extremely hard to open their students’ eyes to new opportunities, from career exploration to better understanding the laws of the justice system.

Kutak Rock was presented with the Advocate Award on Wednesday at the Midlands Mentoring Partnership Annual Mentor of the Year Recognition Luncheon, held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 3321 S. 72nd St. Partnership volunteer mentor, Kasey Cappellano accepted the award on behalf of the firm and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to share in the honor.

In addition to the presentation of the Advocate of the Year Award, the MMP Mentor of the Year award was presented to TeamMates mentor, Elaine Bankey. Bankey has been mentoring for more than 20 years and currently mentors ten students. When presented with the award, Bankey gratefully accepted and assured the crowd that anyone can become a mentor. “If you can breath and walk, you can love a kid, and you will be well loved in return.”

*To find out how your corporation can become a supporter of The Partnership For Our Kids, visit www.thepartnershipforourkids.org or call 402-930-3000.

Beyond Law and Order

Mentoring program alum and scholarship recipient, Shantel Thompson, has always had an interest in the law, but “studying criminal minds and discovering why they act the way they do,” is what she says is the real reason she decided to pursue a degree in Criminal Justice.

Thompson recently landed an extremely competitive internship with the Federal Probation Office. “They only hire two new interns per semester,” Thompson says. She feels that the international criminal law program she participated in really helped to give her an edge over her competition. Thompson believes that her persistence was also a key factor.

As part of her internship, Thompson is mentored by an on-duty probation officer and receives a combination of field and office training. “We follow an offender from the time they commit the offense through sentencing, treatment and probation,” she says. So far, Thompson has really enjoyed seeing the process in action and feels right at home with her co-workers. “They are easy to talk to,” she says. “From the chief probation officer to the janitor, everyone really makes me feel like I am part of the team.”

Thompson plans to go on to obtain a Master’s degree in Psychology as well as a degree in law. Thompson advises younger students to go after what they love and work hard to get there. “You don’t want to go to a job everyday that you don’t like,” Thompson says. “Do what you want to do, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.”

Get Out And About With The Partnership!

If cabin fever has got you down, The Partnership For Our Kids has just the cure!

The Partnership For Our Kids Charity Bowl, Saturday, January 15th, 1-3p.m.
Bowl those winter blues away and support a good cause at the same time! On Saturday, January 15th from 1-3 p.m., the Partnership will host a charity bowling event at Maplewood Lanes 3030 N. 101st St.

Enjoy an afternoon of friendly competition, raffle give-aways and player awards. Participants can pre-register as individuals or as teams of up to six for $20 per player . The cost covers two hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and soda.

To register, contact Latavia Adams at 557-6379 or email ladams@thepartnershipforourkids.org
* Lanes are limited so be sure to call and reserve your team’s spot right away!

The Partnership For Our Kids Restaurant Night At Julio’s West, Tuesday, February 8th, 5-10 p.m.


Eat tacos for the Partnership!?

On Tueday, February 8th from 5-10 p.m., The Partnership For Our Kids will host a restaurant night at Julio’s Tex Mex Grill, 2820 S 123rd Ct. Julio’s will donate 10 percent of the profits made that evening directly to The Partnership For Our Kids, so be sure to bring your appetite!

Julio’s is Omaha’s premier Tex Mex restaurant, serving more mouth-watering south of the border combinations than you can handle! For the gringos, Julio’s also serves a wide variety of burgers, sandwiches and soups.

For more information on The Partnership For Our Kids Restaurant Night, contact Nick or Yolanda at 930-3000 or email nsasada@thepartnershipforourkids.org and ywilliams@thepartnershipforourkids.org

President Obama Recognizes The Power of Mentoring

Earlier this week, President Obama issued a proclamation deeming January as National Mentoring Month. This year marks the 10th anniversary of National Mentoring Month and according to Obama, the support and encouragement mentors provide for today’s youth is in demand now more than ever.

“Across our nation, mentors steer our youth through challenging times and support their journey into adulthood. During National Mentoring Month, we honor these important individuals who unlock the potential and nurture the talent of our country, and we encourage more Americans to reach out and mentor young people in community,” he stated.

The theme of the 2011 Mentor Month Campaign is “Help Them Get There. Become a Mentor.” The campaign’s primary focus is viewing mentoring as a strategy for improving academic achievement. As part of the campaign a National Mentoring Summit will be held on January 25th at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The Summit’s purpose is to shine a light on how mentoring helps keep kids in school and out of trouble.

Locally, the Midlands Mentoring Partnership has many events and seminars planned for National Mentoring Month. Visit MMPOMAHA for more details.
*For more information about becoming a mentor with The Partnership For Our Kids, visit:VOLUNTEER.

Holiday Hearts Warm Winter Weather Blues

The winter weather months have officially hit the Midwest and thanks to the holiday spirit of some volunteer elves, many Partnership students will be able to brave the cold temperatures without fear of frost bite.

Volunteer goal buddies from OPPD gave out more than cheer this month, providing homemade fleece scarves and goodie bags for all the students in their Belvedere classrooms. “The students were thrilled,” said Program Coordinator, Kris Morgan. “One boy expressed how excited his mom would be to see his new scarf,” she added.

Partnership volunteers from FirstComp also contributed to the giving spirit by doing a corporate-wide drive for winter apparel. More than 430 hats, gloves and scarves were collected and distributed to the students of Kellom Elementary. Earlier this year, FirstComp volunteers also organized a school clean-up day, donating plants and mulch and volunteers to landscape and beautify Kellom’s grounds.

Friday December 17th, volunteers from First National Merchants Association will run “Operation Elf”, a drive to collect toys and gifts for the students and families of Saratoga Elementary. If you wish to contribute to the cause, you may drop off donations at the school this Friday. Thanks to all those who are dedicated to aiding the students and families of the Partnership that are in need this season!

If you wish to make a donation directly to The Partnership, you can do so through our website, www.thepartnershipforourkids.org or by calling 402-930-3000.

Welcome Ramey and Cassie!

The Partnership For Our Kids welcomes Ramey McNamara and Cassie Scheidies as the newest program specialists for the Partnership’s mentoring program.

Ramey McNamara will be working with the 6th and 7th grade students at Belvedere Academy, Miller Park Elementary and McMillan Middle School. She says she is most excited to be a part of her students’ lives from elementary school through their high school graduation. Cassie agrees, and adds that she is eager to see her students setting goals and working toward success. Cassie will be working primarily with middle school students at McMillan, Beveridge and Monroe Middle School.

When the ladies are not working, they are both active volunteers in the community. Cassie spends time working with her church and Ramey volunteers with Douglas County as a court appointed special advocate. In addition to volunteering, Ramey likes attending sporting events, movies and playing bingo. Cassie enjoys playing poker, hiking and taking walks with her dogs.
To find out more about Ramey and Cassie, visit the Partnership website's Team Members page

The Big Event Three-peat: Proudly Sharing the Spotlight!

The results are in!

For the third year in a row, the Partnership’s vinNEBRASKA Wine Event was honored as Metro Magazine’s Best Food and Wine Event for 2010! The Partnership happily shares this award with Lutheran Family Services, whose special event, “Wicker and Wine, 2009”, tied for first place. The award announcements were made Tuesday night at Metro Magazine’s “Big Event”, held at Henry Doorly Zoo. This is the fourth annual presentation of “The Big Event Awards Celebration” and Metro Magazine’s twentieth year of existence.

In addition to receiving this award, All About Omaha was also nominated as a finalist in the category of Best Event Under 500 in Attendance for the 2010 Torchlight Ball, honoring the Partnership’s Winners Circle program. A special thanks to all who voted and to those who continue to support The Partnership For Our Kids in all of our ventures!